Trust in Me
by Lekta
Summary: Tag to "The Tag Job". Eliot trusts Nate and Nate worries about breaking that trust. R&R


Author's Notes: Wrote this for leverageland and figured I'd post it here. Just a quick fic, largely unedited and pretty much forgotten. But I hope at least someone likes it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Leverage.

Leverage Missing Scene Challenge:

"Nate!"

Nate Ford heard the shout and immediately took off running. Years of instincts, of knowing when things were wrong immediately made him worried at the sound of Sophie's cry. He sped into the locker room, empty except for Eliot, Sophie and Hardison. Parker's absence made him raise his eyebrows but it was not the most pressing situation. Three sombre faces looked up at him as he entered the room.

"What's wrong?" Nate asked. Hardison wordlessly held out the plastic bottle of water to him; the same that he recognised as the one Eliot had brought with him. Nate sniffed it and his eyes narrowed at the sharp smell.

"They drugged it," he said uncessarily. Berating himself for not thinking that they would; Rucker had proved that he wasn't above cheating; Nate should have expected him to try the same trick again.

"That..._wanker_," Sophie finally said, outrage evident in her voice and stance.

Hardison shook his head, "didn't think he would try it again, would've been a stupid move."

"Rucker ain't exactly imaginative. He's gonna stick to something that works," Eliot finally spoke lowly from his seat on the bench. His eyes were unreadable, expression completely shut down but his shoulders were hunched as if expected the world to fall onto his shoulders.

"What do we do, man?" Hardison's eyes immediately sought out Nate's.

"Do we know what was in it?" Nate asked, gesturing to the bottle in his hands.

Hardison shook his head, "don't know. Could've been a sedative, acid, PCP. Could be rat poison."

"No, Rucker doesn't want Eliot dead. He just wants a good fight. He wants to give the people what they paid for," Nate said with a sigh. He glanced at Eliot, catching the hitter's eyes which were silently begging him for something. Nate shook his head and looked at the team, "so, we give him what he wants."

"And what is that exactly?" Sophie asked, arms crossed over her chest.

"For Eliot to lose control."

Eliot's shoulders seemed to slump down even further and Sophie let out a little gasp.

"You want Eliot to pretend to lose control and beat some guy up? Nate, that's insane." Sophie said, vehemently, shaking her head. "That isn't fair. You can't do that to Eliot."

"Do you want to get Rucker? Then we pretend that Eliot drank the water and we make it seem like he's just unleashed a monster." Nate immediately regretted his words once he saw the visible pain in Eliot's expression which disappeared a moment later. "No fight will be worth the damage to his prized fighter. He'll call it off."

"You don't know what you're asking," Sophie pleaded.

"Yeah, he does." Eliot finally said gruffly. He rose to his feet with a deep breath as if to visibly calm himself. His expression turned hard and his shoulders went back, easily falling into the' hitter stance'.

"It's the only way to help the client, so I'll do it." Eliot said, glaring at each and every one of them, as if daring them to contradict him.

"Okay," Nate nodded. "Hardison, you go talk to the doctor. Warn him what the plan is so he doesn't immediately jump in. Sophie, you go sell it to Rucker."

Hardison looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it and left with his hands in his pockets.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Sophie asked him eyes searching his for something.

"Trust me," Nate said. Sophie finally gave a nod and left as well, heels clicking against the floor. Eliot grabbed the tape off the bench and wrapped one of his hands, keeping his eyes focussed on his task.

Nate turned to go, already going over the plan in his mind. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Eliot continued to stare at the floor, avoiding Nate's eyes.

"What if I can't get it back?"

"Everything'll be fine." Nate promised, already knowing that Eliot meant control over himself, over his anger.

Eliot finally looked up at Nate, with a hurt expression. The expression nearly made Nate call the whole thing off, to take his team back home but if he backed out now, Eliot would think it was because Nate didn't trust him. He squeezed Eliot's shoulder briefly, silently promising to make it up to him somehow. Eliot seemed to understand the message and he nodded in resignation. He trusted Nate and now he knew that Nate trusted him. Eliot repeated that over and over to himself as his feet stepped onto the ring and the bell sounded.


End file.
